


In Trouble With You

by kittencauldrone



Category: Gravity Falls, Rick and Morty
Genre: AU, Drunkenness, First Meeting, Las Vegas Wedding, M/M, The Flesh Curtains
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-13
Updated: 2016-04-07
Packaged: 2018-05-26 09:23:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6233224
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kittencauldrone/pseuds/kittencauldrone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stan and Rick meet and shit goes down. that's all i have to say</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Marriage at first shot

It's been two years, one month, 11 days, and 15 hours since he hit the road. Being on a dusty old highway was getting to the high school drop out. He pinched the bridge of his nose, staring out at flat dessert land and crack asphalt.   
Stanley Pines has been living in his car since he was thrown out of his childhood home after a huge blow out with his pops and brother. And as of noon this extremely hot sunny day, it has been nearly 12 hours since he's seen another town. As lucky would have it, he heard the faint pur of a classic Harley coming up behind him. It could be the heat playing tricks on poor tired Stan, but he was delighted to see a distant figure fastly approaching him. He glanced every now and then to the rear view mirror to see how close the newcomer was. Being the only one on the road for the past few hours had made him more lonely than he'd liked to admit.  
It was just a few short minutes before the owner of the motorcycle was swerving into the other lane to get side by side the stanleymobile. Stan merely gave the other driver a friendly wave and a glance. He heard the engine of the Harley rev, then it dawned on him, this guy wanted to race. Since it was an empty road, no cops in sight, Stan gave the stranger the thumbs up that he would race him. The two slowed to a stop to talk rules as quick as possible.  
"What's the catch?" Stan asked outright before the other man had a chance to speak.  
The other closed his mouth as he thought about it for a second. Stan took this opportunity to get a good look at his new acquaintance. The man was drastically thin compared to himself, wild dyed blue hair, and a thick unkempt unibrow above hazy eyes. Their styles of dress clashed as well, while he rocked a Letterman and worn dirty blue jeans in typical punk fashion, the stranger wore a loose black tank top and skin tight ripped jeans to match. Stan was starting to question why he had decided to stop for the other. A strong and rough," I got it!" brought Stan out of his train of thought and looked at the stranger.  
"If I win, y-you coUUURP-come to my con-concert." the man stated firmly.  
"What if I win?" Stan inquired, curious to see what the other would say.  
"hmm. Y-You could come par-URRP-ty with me?" when he gained a questionable look he changed his answer,"I'll bu-buy you a drink."  
Stan thought it over and then nodded, sticking out his hand."You're on."  
The stranger outstretched his hand and met Stan's with a firm grip. The broader man couldn't help but notice how slender the other's fingers were as they shook then let go." A-All the way to th-the next town."  
"how far is that?"  
"straight shot. I-its a straiUURPght shot one mile d-down the ro-road." he said, putting his hands back on the handles of his bike and said,"123go!" taking off with wild laughter echoing on the empty road.  
Stan gasped and hit the gas to catch up, judging by how this man dressed, he definitely didn't want to go to this concert bullshit. The Stanleymobile sped forward, taking the challenge of being pushed pedal to the medal while almost on empty.   
"come on, baby, you can do it." Stan patted the arm of the door as they closed the gap between him and the blue haired motorcyclist. The stanleymobile responded as the brunette shifted the gears and lurched forward, putting the pair neck and neck as they raced down the road. Stan saw the town the other had told him about, just ahead. He looked down at the gas gauge, the poor thing was sitting on E. As the last of the gas was used up the car began to slow, sputtering sadly to a stop as Stan watched the punk on the bike beat him into town in defeat.  
Fighting the urge to yell curses to the heavens, he pushed his car a bit to at least be pulled over on the side of the road and sat there. He got out of his car and popped the trunk to retrieve the gas can. From what he could tell, he was on the very outskirts of the town, so it wouldn't be too far for the athlete to walk. Guess he was using his last twenty bucks on gas. Before Stan could even walk ten feet from his beloved car, he heard the pur of that damn Harley engine that beat his baby only because he was low on gas.  
Here came the blue haired stranger, Stan could see a smug ass grin on the rider's face from where he stood in the heat. That pissed him off, did this guy just come back to gloat his victory? Oh Stan was gonna give this punk a good ass beating if that was the case, but then he saw a bright red container that the rider was holding onto. His new acquaintance was bringing him gas! Sweet merciful whatever in the sky, Stan could drop to his knees and cry at the act of kindness he was being shown. It'd been so rough the past two years since he'd been living in his car, to think someone who looked like they rather fight than help you out would be the guy to help.  
"Saw ya break down." said the punk."i-its suicide to walk in this heat!" He huffed, shoving the gas can into Stan's hands.  
"Uh, thanks." He muttered, going to the gas cap and filling his car with the gas he was given." so uh, guess I lost. I should at least know your name I guess."  
"Sanchez." Said the man."Rick fu-UUURP-fucking Sanchez."  
"Well, Rick fucking Sanchez, I'm Stan." he told Rick, close the gas cap and door." Stan Pines."  
Rick reached into the pouch attached to the seat of his bike and pulled out a flyer for the concert he had told Stan about before they raced."Here. the location of the concert is on the flyer. just show them this at the door, they'll let you in."  
Stan took the flyer and nodded, watching Rick fill the awkward silence with his motorcycle revving, before he said a quick goodbye and took off back into the town. Thankful, the athlete got back in his car and drove into town and parked in a cheap motel parking lot before looking over the flyer a bit more. The location was a bar, conveniently a few doors down from where he sat now. Now, he just needed to make some quick cash so he could sleep on a crappy bed instead of the backseat of his car.   
[~~~+~~~]  
"Ah, finally. AC that works and no sun beating down on me." Stan sighed with relief as he dropped his bag on the floor next to the door."and a shower!"  
The brunette didn't care if the water was cold, he was excited to get a real shower and a bed. He was sunburnt on his shoulders and neck, needing a break from life on the road. He figured he could stay here a few days and con a few more people out of their money before moving on. As he rummaged through his bag and found some clean clothes, his mind wandered to Rick. The man he had met a few hours ago and lost a race to. He was now bound by the handshake that he has to go see this Rick fellow in concert. At least he could use the crowd to his advantage. Maybe pickpocket a few college kids' wallets stuffed full of mommy and daddy's money and get wasted.  
It didn't sound so bad, at least he could get drunk off his ass and not worry about having to drive. After all, his motel was extremely close to the bar Rick's band was playing at. After his shower, Stan laid on the bed and watched tv, checking the clock every hour or so to see how late it was getting. He'd have to get to the bar soon, he knew by the sound of car doors slamming and constant yelling outside, that tonight was going to be packed.  
Stan looked at the flyer again:  
THE FLESH CURTAINS  
LIVE IN CONCERT!  
GET HERE EARLY BECAUSE THE PARTY STARTS AT 8  
"such a weird name." Stan sighed, putting on his shoes. He checked the clock again, before heading out the door. He wondered what kind of music Rick's band played, probably something he didn't listen too. Oh well, if he didn't like the music he could get black out drunk and start a fight.   
It only took a few minutes to get from the motel parking lot to the bar's front entrance. A bouncer quickly stopped him in his tracks as many adoring fans waited in a roped off area."you on the list?"  
"uh." Stan stuttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the flyer he had been given," Rick said to show you this."  
The bouncer raised and eyebrow, looking over the flyer before letting Stan in when he got the okay from another security personnel. He was quickly grabbed up by back stage security when they saw him enter and pulled him into a back room. Stan grumbled angrily when he was handled roughly by the larger men, practically being flung into a private room somewhere backstage. Which was hard to do to such a stocky guy like Pines.   
" 'Ey! Lo-look who made it!" came a familiar voice. Stan looked up from brushing himself off to see he was standing in front of the band he was supposed to be seeing in concert tonight.  
"so much for slipping into the crowd and picking pockets." Stan chuckled a bit. It seems that Rick wanted him to have the best seats in the house. Despite having just met, Rick had a wild look in his eye as he chattered to his bandmates about how he kicked Stan's ass in the race they had earlier today. Stan looked puzzled when he saw the strange cat of a drummer and human... bird thing?  
"An-UUURP-Anyway, I-I'm glad you m-made it Stan." Rick got up and went over to him, draping his arm over his shoulder. Rick had a full foot on him, but he was so much paler and skinnier than Stan was, it was like sitting a toothpick next to a log. "Y-You're gonna love the show. and uh, drinks' on me."  
"Thanks man." Stan smiled, sweet, now he could keep the couple hundred bucks he scammed off some poor schmuck." You're not gonna do anything stupid like bring me stage are ya?"  
"No." Rick laughed, patting the buffer man on his back, the last pat ending up on Stan's ass." I'm ju-just saying y-yoooooOOOu'll like the show."  
Someone came in to tell the band they needed to get to the stage because the crowd was going fucking nuts. They all left, and Stan went back where all the people were. He sat at the bar, which was close to the stage, so he could see. He ordered a beer and watched as a drum roll began on the dark stage before a heavy guitar riff joined in and bright lights came on, hitting the band in a flash of fog and what appeared to be confetti.   
Stan took a swig of his beer as he watched. The cat animal was playing the drums surprisingly well and the bird man was on vocals. Stan's eyes rested on Rick, the wild card. He carried all the sex appeal and stage presence as he plucked the strings of his guitar. He was surprised the music was pretty mystifying, the crowd was swayed with the beat. The brunette watched quietly drinking his beer, his attention shifted whenever he saw a fat wallet sticking out of careless back pocket.   
Easily lifted, emptied and put back, then his attention went back to the stage. He repeated this until he had gathered roughly thousand dollars and some change, while watching Rick walked around on stage, grabbing hands in the crowd occasionally, and taking huge swigs from an expensive bottle of alcohol. Stan was mesmerized by the way the lengthy man swayed his hips in time with the music. It was like he walked in on a private moment as he watched Rick hypnotically dancing.   
The blue haired man was so into his music, it seemed he'd forgotten all about the crowd and his bandmates, like it was just him and the stage. When he looked up from the ground, it was like he came back down to Earth as he scanned the crowd. Stan chuckled to see Rick go from calm to wild in no time flat as he put down his guitar on the stand and took a running leap into the crowd and began crowd surfing. Stan waved to him as he passed by, now pleasantly buzzed on his second bottle, bobbing his head with the beat.  
Maybe loosing that race wasn't so bad after all. He was enjoying the music, made some decent cash, and he was getting free drinks from a big time rock star. When Rick was placed back on stage, the singer was thanking everyone for coming out, and the crowd was quickly dispersing once the band went back stage and the lights shut off on the stage.   
Stan sat up straight and grunted, popping his back. He finished off his second beer and ordered a third. The bar was now much more empty as much of the crowd had left the building, but he stayed simply because he still wanted to be a little drunk at least before he left. He didn't really expect running into Rick, considering there was probably a line of fans and groupies waiting near the band's tour bus. Stan sat contently at the bar, enjoying the soft music playing on the speakers while people regrouped after all the rough housing the band had brought in.  
"H-Hey straaaAAAANnger." Rick's voice came from behind Stan, causing him to jump a bit.  
He turned around on the bar stool and looked at Rick, who hadn't changed from his sweaty clothes he wore on stage." Didn't think you'd be able to get to the bar after all that mess."  
"Ye-Yeah." Rick nodded,"listen, I-I didn't thiiiink you'd a-actually co-uurp-me."  
"Had nothing better to do. Plus, you interest me." Stan told him confidentially." This may be the beer talkin', but you caught my attention before I ever saw your face."  
Rick laughed, then look like he muttered something under his breath, talking to himself before speaking clearly," W-wanna ge-uuurp- get fucked up?"  
"sure." Stan nodded as the punk sat next to him and ordered a round of shots for each of them. They began knocking them back, but Stan was nearly fucked halfway, while he stopped to watch Rick swipe the shot back like water. He made it look so easy, but the jock knew Rick was probably used to partying hard every night. While Stan would go days without food and water let alone alcohol while driving across the country. Despite this, Stan decided to finish off the shots offered to him, trying not to puke as he gazed at Rick through impaired eyes.  
"y-y'know, Stan... Yo-You make me wannnnnna get in som-some biiiiiiiiiig trouble." The blue haired male said, placing a hand on Stan's shoulder. That made Stan crack a grin. He knew what kind of trouble Rick wanted, that's the kind of trouble he's been running from for the past two years as he scammed his way across the country.  
"I know exactly how I can help." Stan purred. The night blurred together as he and Rick then robbed the bar they were at and made a run for it, all the way to the Stanleymobile in the cheap motel parking lot and peeling out of the parking lot like there was no tomorrow as blue and red lights flashed after them. Rick stuck his head out the window and flipped off the cops as Stan drove as fast as his car allowed.  
Before they knew it, the cops were stopping at the city limits, having no jurisdiction on the open road. The rest of the night was black for one Stanley Pines and Rick Sanchez.  
The pair woke up in a hotel suite, in a big king sized bed, both naked, surrounded by thousands of dollars and expensive bottles of booze. Stan sat up with a groan,"wh... what happened?"  
"I-I th-think we r-roooooooobbbed a few places and d-drove tooooooo...." Rick, who was now sitting up as well, looked around,"where... where the fuUUURPck are we?"  
It was obvious that they both had hangovers, Stan let his eyes adjust to the light, he got up and wrapped a discarded towel around his waist to walk over to the window." what the fuck..."  
"what?"  
"you'll never believe this Rick." Stan said, leaning on the window, looking down. Rick got up and went over to his new partner in crime. The pair were staring out at the Las Vegas strip beyond a casino parking lot.  
"Jesus f-fuuuuucking christ." Rick groaned, and slumped to the floor." how the fuck..." He went to run his fingers through his hair and noticed a sliver band on one of his ring fingers."no. No fu-UUURP-cking way!"  
Stan turned to him,"What?"  
"Did... Did we geeeet drunk and married in th-the same night?" Rick sat up, showing him the ring. Stan then noticed a ring on his finger two.  
"well shit."


	2. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stan learns a few new things about the man he is now married to

Stan paced around the room while Rick sat on the bed and opened one of the bottles of alcohol just laying aroung. How did this happen? How did they get three states over from where they had started off? Why was Rick not freaking out about this? In the stockier man's pacing, he found the marriage certificate and photos of the night previous to the current freak out.

"heh, we look pretty damn good together.." Rick said, looking at the photos over Stan's shoulder. He took them from the other's hand and flipped through them."geeze... a-at least neither of us wo-wore a dress."

Stan's head reeled, how could he be married to someone famous? This would be a huge scandal for Rick and his band. What about the people who saw them? Oh man, they must have pictures of them going into that stupid chapel. He buried his head in his hands and groaned. This was one of the biggest messes he'd ever gotten himself into.

Rick, clearly annoyed with the younger male's little freak out session, snapped his fingers to get his attention," s-so what. So what w-we got married when bla-black out drunk!" He said, beginning a tangent that Stan was glad to hear." w-we hardly know e-each other, b-but we-we could so-uurp- so milk th-this shit Stan! We could milk it! t-tabloids wi-will eat this up! fuck, e-everyone will! We-we'll be part of the biggest scandal to hit hollywood-uuuurp- hit hollywood since M-Marlin fuuuuckin' Mon- Monroe! y-y-ya hear that Stan!"

Stan looked up from his pity party, watching Rick pace as that brilliant mind worked on the best scam ever. He stood up wrapped the lengthy man in his arm and grinned," Baby, we're about to be rollin' in the cash!"

Rick returned Stan smile and chuckled," let-let's fuckin do this."

The next few hours flew by as Rick had called birdperson and told him what happened, but going extra in on how he was "in love" with Stan and that's why they had gotten married so quickly, making a whole back story for how long they actually known each other and everything. Stan just sat back, while Rick conversed with his band mate, counting their earnings from their crime spree. The grand total came out to 10,456 dollars.

Stan's eyes saw nothing but dollar signs as he stashed their cash in a bag under a bunch of new clothes they had bought during their black out trip. While Stan packed up, Rick hung up the phone and flopped on the bed,"fuck."

"Oh no." Stan said dramatically," my husband is in distress! What ever could be the matter?"

"go suck a dick." Rick said playfully.

"Why go anywhere, when there's one laying right in front of me." he shot back, winking at him, before turning back to what he was doing.

Rick studied Stan's back, the way he moved and the way his muscles reacted to movement. For someone who just got black out drunk and woke up married, he found himself lucky   
that he hadn't drunk married someone his own age. He was definitely loving his view of Stanley Pines.

Stan could feel Rick watching him, but did nothing to stop him, despite their clashing styles, he found himself kinda glad all this happened. A comfortable silence fell over the pair, as the jock packed the rest of their things, and Rick watched on, downing the bottle in his hands.

"welp." Rick grunted, getting up," l-let's get cleaned up. O-One less thing for bird-uuurp- birdperson to bi-bitch about." he grabbed Stan by the arm and pulled him towards the bathroom.

"yes dear." the brunette teased. It was his turn to study Rick, he had several bruises on him, a few teeth marks as well. Stan looked at his hand then the finger shaped bruises on Rick, jesus... did he do that to his new spouse? The smaller man seemed blissfully unaware of his markings as Stan scolded himself quietly. The only thing that brought the larger man out of his daze was the feel of those slender fingers wrap around the towel on his waist and pulled it off of him. An audible "wow" followed soon after as Rick saw what his partner was packing between his legs.

Stan turned away to turn on the water, red in the face. They may have fucked while drunk, but it was all a blank blur for him, would Rick make a move on him? Maybe, it was clear the lengthy male wasn't shy. Rick licked his lips as he watched Stan hunch over the tub and smiled, half tempted to grab the other's ass, but not tempted enough to follow through with proper teasing. He shrugged it off and stepped into the bath tub, not keen on standing for too much longer. He flipped the switch below the faucet to plug up the drain and let the water fill the tub, settling back against the wall of the tub. Stan raised a brow in question to Rick's actions only to get a gesture for him to join. 

Silently the two settled in the bath and relaxed in each other's company. Rick more than happily draped his legs over Stan, noting the larger man needed more room than himself."so.. marriage h-huh?"

"A goddamn trap we got caught in." Stan sighed, leaning back." I suppose we have the benefits at least."

Rick paused, looking over his new spouse, now curious to find out why the seemingly normal male had been out on a highway looking like he hadn't showered in days." y-you on th-the run o-uurp-or something?"

"huh? oh, uh... Not really." He shrugged."I just... kinda ran away from home I guess." The subject was touchy, to say the least, the image of his brother staring out of their bedroom window as Stan screamed curses at his family and high tailed it out of that shitty town was still very fresh in his mind." ju-just a stupid reason really."

"I g-get that." Stated the punk, scooting closer to Stan, turning off the water." m-my parents we-were shithe-heads." he said so nonchalantly like it meant nothing to him at all." S-so i-URRRP- so i le-left."

"you make it sound easy." Stan muttered.

Rick gave him a puzzled look,"It was??? i-its not like m-my parents gave me --URRRP- me the tim-time of day. i-i'm a godda-uurp-damn genius. m-my IQ i-i-is higher than their's co-combined. I-I got the hell outta there a-as soon as i ha-had the cash."

The larger of the two looked on at Rick, if this man was as smart as he said, why choose such a life? he could be doing great things. But Stan realized that Rick had the air about him that he was better than anyone he's ever met and he knew it. Unlike his brother, who knew he was smart, but didn't like to flaunt it, more of a goody two shoes than anything. At this moment the larger male felt starstruck, gazing at his partner, realizing he'd hit the jackpot. He'd met someone that was a fucked as him, but smart enough to care even less about consequences than anyone.

If he and Rick kept at this whole 'lovey-dovey couple' bullshit they just may be able to get away with the most stupid shit. Stan pulled his eyes away from the other male, to look at his hands again. The bruises on Rick matched his fat fingers perfectly. That made Stan chuckle to himself and gave him an idea.

"the fu-fuck is so funny?" 

Stan responded by pressing Rick against the wall of the tub, grabbing his right wrist where he'd left bruises last night. He gently took the slender man's chin between his thumb and index fingers, tilting his head up," just thought you'd want to remember all that we did last night."

"oh.." Rick took a few seconds to think over what his companion was proposing, then shrugged," wh-what the hell."

Though, neither of them really expected anything to get too far, Stan pressed his lips firmly onto Rick's without a second thought, pressing his tongue intrusively into the other's mouth. Not a surprise, he could taste alcohol on the inside of Rick's cheeks, and faint traces of cigarettes. He pulled back away from the other male with a satisfied grin, it was clear where he intended on stopping. The blue hair's man had other ideas, jumping Stan once released from his grip. Stan let out a faint gasp as water splashed out of the bath from the sudden movements. Rick sat in Stan's lap perfectly, aside from his legs on either side of the stockier male being up to his partner's shoulder's. He looked the other straight in the eye and said firmly,"w-we gonna fu-UURP-fuck or what?"

Stan stumbled over his words, but definitely not opposed to the idea. Rick, not being a very patient person, grabbed the soap sitting on the edge of the tub and poured a heap onto Stan's chest, almost demanding that he not stink before they went any further. Rick quickly washed and rinsed himself and got out, lightly shaking off opposed to grabbing a towel to dry off. He was going to wait for Stan to hurry his ass up to wash up. 

Rick almost didn't make him get clean, but that amount of hair on Stan's chest just screamed that it was renting space to bacteria or whatever the hell kind of bugs flew into his car on accident and got lost in that jungle. He shuddered at the thought, wondering if the other male ever tried to shave that shit off, but he couldn't complain too much, it was completely natural to have hair everywhere. When Stan emerged from the bathroom, he was all clean. Rick smiled, he could finally see the man that had been covered under all that dirt, and those tan lines as well. 

"d-don't tan nud-nude mu-much huh?" said the older male, looking at the rigid tan line along Stan's hips."y-your ass is-is blinding pa-pale."

Stan looked at his ghost white thighs and then at Rick,"I never put much thought into it."

"ju-just an ob-observation." he commented, laid out on the bed." whe-where's a dru-drug dealer w-when you need on-one?"

"Never mind that, we have more fun things to do." Stan grinned, climbing onto the bed, looming above the skinny male.

Rick cracked a wild grin and nodded, wrapping his arms around Stan's neck," hell yeah we do."

Stan went in for a kiss when a flash of light stopped him and practically threw him off the bed. He gripped his chest with a gasp as he looked up to see Rick's band mates now standing in front of them, behind them was a glowing green portal. Rick was now frowning at their sudden appearance but unphased by how they appeared.

"Birdperson you be-better not h-have used that t-thing in public!" Rick growled, snatching an odd looking gun from the singer's hand.

"I did not." said the man in a monotonous voice." Let's go back to the bus, we have a gig tonight."

Rick grumbled, messing with the gun while Stan scrambled to his feet and got dressed." fucking bird brain." Stan gathered the bags and looked at the drummer and singer awkwardly and waved at them uncertainly before Rick grabbed him by the wrist," co-come on, babe."

Stan shut his eyes when Rick pulled him through the green glowing mass and when he opened them they were on what he assumed was a tour bus. He looked around in confusion then at Rick," what the hell?"

"Gen-Genius, remember!" Rick said tapping the side of his temple with the portal gun," it-its a porta-tal gun. Ma-made it myself."

Stan looked at his spouse, the man he married was truly a genius. Rick waited for the man named Birdperson and the drummer to come through before getting rid of the portal. Birdperson commented that he hoped that Rick had paid for that room instead of breaking into it. Rick blew it off and grabbed one of the bags from Stan, then shut himself in the bathroom. Leaving Stan to get acquainted with his partner's band mates.


	3. EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT

Stan sat in an awkward silence with the two band mates. He settled for sitting on the small couch, trying to take up as little room as possible. The drummer cat deemed Squanchy had moved on and was driving while Birdperson observed his guitarist's new spouse. Stan felt uncomfortable under the steady gaze of the singer. He shifted and coughed, turning his attention to the window to look out of it.

He was gonna have a hell of a time getting his car back if things didn't work out with this whole marraige scam. He looked out the window, thinking about his life choices, barely 19 and married to a rockstar that he barely knew. Somehow Rick was able to pick up on Stan's backstory and fabricate a whole story for them on how they met. 

A quiet sigh escaped his lips as he sat there in the bus before the silence was broken by Rick busting out of the bathroom with a wicked grin on his face. Both Stan and Birdperson jumped when he came out, looking at the guitarist.

"W-what the fuck are you lookin' at?" He asked, coolly sitting next to Stan, going so far to lay on him like it was nothing. Stan didn't protest, he stayed quiet while Rick fiddled with the open shirt of his partner.

"Rick, I hope that you have a plan for getting Stan back to his car." Birdperson stated.

Rick waved it off," pssh, he could use a break from that thing. Besides, he drove all the way to come s-see me, isn't that right?"

"uh, yeah." Stan nodded, twisting the ring on his finger absentmindedly." Drove me crazy tryin' to find ya, Rick."

Birdperson narrowed his eyes at the pair but didn't say anything. His friend seemed absorbed in his own little world with this new man, perhaps what he said was true. Deciding to leave it alone, he got up to go keep Squanchy company in the front.

Rick stayed where he was, leaning on Stan's chest between his legs, every now and then glancing up at the larger man to see how he was taking all of this. Stan was rolling with the punches, at least he didn't have to worry about where he was going to sleep or the next time he was going to eat for a while. That was always a plus, despite the addition of being trapped on a tour bus with three people(?) that he didn't know at all.

He looked down at the man laying on him to get a quizzical stare in return. Rick cracked a grin and grabbed Stan's ears," ya hear well enough with those satellites?"

"Oh yeah, I hear all the way in space with these things." Stan chuckled a bit." but uh, I tend to block it out."

Rick let go and sat up," I'll remember that next time you decide you can't hear me."

Stan nodded, it was fair that a few jokes about his ears would come into play. He watched Rick pick up a guitar and strum a few cords out." You play?"

"A little." Stan shrugged, promptly having an acoustic guitar shoved into his hand as if ordered to play along. He listened and watched Rick play for a few measures before joining in with a complimenting strum of cords. 

"Not bad." Rick nodded as they played together. Stan smiled at him, changing the tune of their strumming.

It wasn't before long that Stan was humming, then softly singing as he watched his fingers on the fret board. He lost himself in his own little world, forgetting where he was and that he had an audience. He simply enjoyed the song he was playing, half slipping from English to Spanish and vice versa, though he knew very little Spanish outside of singing lyrics.

Rick raised one side of his monobrow, listening to Stan sing. The look on his face when his husband started singing in Spanish was of amusement. He could still tell Stan was 100% American by his thick accent when singing. He sighed, having stopped playing at this point to listen to Stan. He chuckled softly to himself, at least the kid had some talent in him. That could get them far in this scam.

Stan looked up when he had realized he had been singing. He has a bit of stage fright when it came to singing or playing guitar in front of others. Rick just nodded to him, sitting back with his guitar, plucking the strings and adjusting the teeth as needed. The larger male was grateful Rick wasn't the type to give harsh critique. The pair sat there comfortably before Rick said something.

"Y-you mispronounced a few things." Rick told him.

"Oh, well you can probably help with that then?"

Rick nodded while fiddling with the strings. He set the guitar back on its stand and sighed, looking at Stan." Well. Now what?"

"sleep?" He shrugged at the question, what else was one to do when stuck in a bus for who knows long? 

"Get up." Rick told him. Stan got up and the lengthy man pulled out the cushions and brought out the bed from beneath the seats. He then grabbed a blanket and some pillows before laying down," come on."

Stan joined him, resting his head close to Rick's. They snuggled up under the blanket together without a care and fell asleep surrounded by each other's warmth. The pair when together seemed oblivious to the world around them, very strange for a man of science like Rick to experience. He assumed it was an effect of adrenaline released during they're run of lies and crimes. Stan, although very off-put by Rick's buddies, found himself at ease with the genius man. Surely because he had been stuck with one since birth.

He couldn't remember the last time he slept on a bed since he'd left home. Aside from the night before, he was happy to be able to sprawl out on a flat area larger than his leather back seat of his car. With the added bonus of sleeping next to a slim but very handsome man who also served as a heater. Rick put off a huge amount of body heat for some one his size. Stan liked it, he cuddled up to the punk without a second thought, enjoying the warmth.

The pair slept like this for several hours, unaware that their bus mates took pictures of them like this once stopped in the town they were preforming in. Rick was a bit grateful for the few hours of sleep he got in, knowing once he got started partying on and off stage he wouldn't stop until someone made him stop.

~~~~~~~~

Stan watched as Rick smeared eyeliner under his eyes, frowning in the mirror as he was trying to fix it. He got up and went over to his husband, without a word he took the eyeliner from Rick and helped him wash away his mess up before doing his make up for him.

Rick gave him a questioning look," since when do you do make up?"

" Since I grew up watching my mother do her's." Stan chuckled," remember, doll?"

Rick made a face, Stan knew he didn't remember, but they were having to keep up this happy 'known-each-other-a-long-time' couple bullshit." Oh yeah.I remember." He nodded.

Stan smiled and sat back down, itching his nose. He was given a shirt that boast 'security' on the front and back so he could get back stage with the band. He also had been given a lanyard that had Rick's stamp of approval on it just in case. He didn't mind, at least his bulky build made him look the part. 

Birdperson had given the couple a extensive lecture before the band had started getting ready. Including rules to follow such as 'no bringing the spouse on stage', 'no public display of affection', and most importantly Rick was not to wear his ring on his finger while on stage to keep rumors to a minimum. Stan understood where the singer was coming from, fans might be discouraged when the band's main sex symbol is seemingly suddenly tied down to another man never once mentioned before.

Rick, on the other hand, was keen on breaking all the rules his friend had laid out and more. He knew the risks and thought it all out. All the publicity could be good for the band. Especially get them a bigger following within the LGBT community across the US. He knew that Birdperson knew he wasn't going to listen and would go out of his way to specifically break those rules laid out for him. He also knew that's why Birdperson had told him the rules.

Soon the trio was moving backstage with Stan following close behind. He stopped at the curtains while the band continued out onto the stage. The crowd was loud while cheering when the band appeared on stage. From his spot he could see the crowd and just about everything else. He spied the bar, oh man could he use a drink at this point. He decided he wasn't about to fight the crowd, he was just going to stay back stage so no one could see him.

The sound of Rick hitting the strings of his guitar to start the first song was followed by the crowd cheering, then music playing. Stan smiled, The Flesh Curtains clearly had a loyal fan base, many people at the event held up signs and such. Most of the crowd was singing along with Birdperson, with the exception of the mosh pit in the middle going ham to the beat.

The large man had to admit the songs were nice. He caught Rick's grin and his glance towards him. It didn't take a genius to know that look meant bad news. He would see Rick glance over every so often at him, he was planning something. Stan knew that he was most likely going to show him off on stage. 

He shook his head, and listened to them play for a while before venturing backstage a bit further just to wander. He stopped at a water cooler and grabbed himself a drink when he was grabbed by familiar slim fingers.

"C'mon." Rick told him, dragging him towards the stage.

"Rick, I don't think Birdperson will like this." Stan said, but didn't resist.

Rick stopped just before the curtains," gimme my ring."

Stan did so, watching his spouse jam it onto his ring finger, before grabbing his arm again. The guitarist dragged Stan on stage into the bright lights gaining a collected gasp from the audience. 

"gimme.. gimme the mic." Rick motioned at the singer. To Stan's surprise he gave it to him quite willingly. Rick hung onto Stan, swaying a bit as he had been drinking while preforming," e-everyone. Me-meet Stan." the large male waved to the crowd with a crooked smile." he-hes my hu-husband."

There was silence as the audience was unsure how to take this news, watching the guitarist cling to the stranger. Rick went on to say they'd been seeing each other in secret for a while and after the last show they got married in Vegas. Which the fans seemed to understand and even happy for Rick. One person started a chant that grew into the whole crowd yelling at the two," kiss! kiss! kiss! kiss!"

Stan moved he mic away from Rick's face and dipped him a bit as they shared their first public kiss. The two knew all press there were getting great shots of them. Stan set Rick back up right and they let go of each other.

"Alright, thank you guys for showing your love!" Rick grinned," now lets get back to rocking!"

He handed the mic back to Birdperson and the music started up again as Stan moved off stage He sat down in a chair back stage and watched the rest of the concert from there.

The next morning headline of tabloids and rock star newspapers alike read:

"RICK SANCHEZ OF THE FLESH CURTAINS GOT SECRETLY HITCHED??? READ ALL ABOUT THE REVEAL OF THE ROCK STAR'S NEW HUBBY AT THEIR LATEST CONCERT!"

Stan sighed when he saw the headline on the paper in front of him at the table. Out of curiosity he read the articular to see how accurate it was. It read:

"A bomb was dropped on all Flesh Curtain fans attending last night's show when in the middle of the concert guitarist, Rick Sanchez, stopped the music to show off his new husband! He brought the man onto the stage and took the mic from lead singer Birdperson and stated, ' Everyone, meet Stan. He's my husband.'

Crowds were shocked at first until the guitarist revealed their long history together, which melted everyone's hearts. It wasn't before long that the fans were encouraging the newly weds to kiss. They locked lips in a passionate display of love. It must not be easy for a normal guy like Stan to be married to one of the most iconic sex symbols of the modern era."

He chuckled and set the paper down, drinking his coffee. He was the only one up at the moment, the rock stars had partied hard after the reveal of his existence. He made sure not to wake anyone on the bus when he made the coffee and sat down to drink it. He looked over to the couch bed where Rick was laid out, Stan counted himself lucky he didn't wake his spouse. Rick didn't seem like the kind to take well to being woken up when a hangover was in the mix.

But the smell of coffee filled the bus and before too long Squanchy and Birdperson were up and pour coffee into their cups and joining Stan at the table. They were less curtious of their sleeping friend while making as much noise as possible. The two had made a bet to see who could wake up Rick first. When asked if he wanted it, Stan agreed to join in trying to rouse the sleeping man.

"Babe." Was all Stan said before Rick shot up in bed then grabbed his head and hunched over. Stan got up and brought him a cup of coffee to help. The guitarist muttered a thanks before downing it. He went back over to the astounded band mates and grinned," Pay up boys."

"What a load of Squanch." said the cat as he and the singer forked over the agreed amount of money to Stan.

He took it happily and sat back down at the table with them. He was settling into the group dynamic well, despite the rocky start the day before.


	4. Return

A few weeks now had passed since the big reveal. Stan and Rick were plastered on every cover of every news paper, tabloid, and magazine. It was hard to even go into a store to quickly get groceries without people noticing who Stan was. He wasn't as used to this much positive attention as one would think.

Rick owned it, though. He walked through a crowded store with his head held high and a stride that could kill if you look too long. Stan was grateful that his husband had such confidence, it rubbed off on him. The pair would walk in nervous, but the minute attention was on Rick, he played it off as cool as could be. He would grasp Stan's hand firmly in his own and pull him around the store until they got what they needed.

The band was thriving from the publicity, the lengthy male was loving the attention. Stan was happy to take up the role as arm candy and devoted husband. Every now and then, he'd read an article praising him for being so understand despite his spouse's schedule and touring. Calling him 'doting' and 'madly in love' and many other things. Stan rather liked the idea of being the typical husband with a nine to five job, but Rick's multi-million dollar career was more than enough for them to sit comfortably.

Rick was starting to get used to the mug of the larger male, waking up to the smell of coffee and opening his eyes to see Stan sitting at the table across from where they slept. Birdperson and Squanchy had even taken a liking to the guitarist's hubby. They usually had huge problems with who he dated or slept with. Stan seemed to be approved by his band mates.

Routines were for people stuck in dead end jobs and failing marriages. Rick never liked routines. That's why he choose the rock star life. It was wild and unpredictable, a new city each night of a tour, new groupies, new faces, new everything. He relished in the unpredictability of such a lavish lifestyle. Now he was finding himself okay with one constant. He didn't quite understand it himself, but the scam was becoming a background thought and Stan was becoming the main event in the genius's mind.

What would Stan wake him up with today? What coffee was he making? Would Stan call him pet names that day? How would he help with his makeup today? Thousands of questions ran through Rick's head as it became a month since they got married. He just shrugged it off the best he could, and went on with the fun as usual. It was something stupid to waste his precious thoughts on anyway.

"What would your parents think of your sudden marriage to Rick?" asked Birdperson, sitting at the table with Stan while Rick tried to sleep off a hangover.

Stan stared into his mug for a second, reflecting on the idea. He shrugged," I don't know, Pers. My folks were pretty heated when I left, I'm sure they'd find this as another reason I'm a no good fuck up."

"That sounds harsh."

"It is." Stan sighed." but, no going back. I'm not welcome there anyway."

Rick had heard the whole conversation while trying to sleep. He laid there pretending to sleep as his spouse and best friend conversed about Stan's parents. It mad sense now, the tired look on Stan's face when they first met. He had assumed he was running from the law, but he was just running from his family. And some law enforcement that wanted to give him trouble. He could pick up on the very subtle shaking in his voice when he said he wasn't welcome back home. To Rick, family was stupid and unnecessary, but he could tell that for Stan, his family meant a lot to him. There must be a lot of hurt held up behind those deep brown eyes.

He waited for Stan to get up and go into the bathroom before sitting up and sighing, rubbing his temples. Birdperson had been aware of Rick being awake but said nothing. When Stan came back he went over to Rick and bent down to kiss his forehead, as it was becoming a habit for him.

"Good morning." Stan smiled," Need coffee I assume?"

"more like a shot of rum." Said the blue haired man with a groan.

Stan checked his watch and nodded, getting it for his spouse without question. Rick couldn't help but see the way Stan fetched him a drink every morning as very domestic. It made his stomach churn. How sickeningly domestic had they become while being cooped up in this bus together? Rick got up and stumbled to the small counter and grabbed the bottle from Stan's hand, taking a few large gulps. 

"Yo, Squanchy, how much longer to the next stop?" he called to the driver.

"an hour and a squanch, man." came the reply." almost there."

Rick frowned and turned back to Stan. He hadn't seen his younger counterpart touch an ounce of booze since their drunk shenanigans in Vegas. He was about to fix that, and fast. He put one arm around Stan and shoved the open end of the bottle to his lips, knocking it back behind the other's lips. Stan didn't fight it, he welcomed it in fact. It was clear he had been holding back to show a good side to the public.

"hey, kid." Rick purred, finally letting up after Stan had drank a considerate amount," I'm in a band thats considered bad news. You don't have to get all house wife on us. Lets get wild."

Stan wiped his mouth and smiled," yeah."

Birdperson gave Rick a look, but got up and went to the front of the bus, not wanting to see whatever was about to play out. There was only a small stash of alcohol, and Rick knew where every last drop was. He poured drink after drink for Stan, taking a few chugs between liquoring up his husband. 

Within an hour Stan was officially drunk and Rick barely buzzed. The larger man staggered when the bus turned into the parking lot of their next gig, and went tumbling onto the bed. He groaned and attempted to get back up, wanting to see where they were. Rick fell on the bed next to him and chuckled, watching Stan stumbled over his words. He babbled on about certain things, more talkative than usual. Rick ran his fingers through his hair when Stan complimented him saying how lucky the other was to score a ten.

"You're not gonna get sappy on me, are ya?" Rick asked. Stan shook his head at the question. Together they laid there for a while. The larger fell asleep after a few moments of silence, Rick frowned a bit. Whatever, he got up and went to go help with whatever the band needed.

He took two steps and was swarmed by reporters and flashing lights. Covering his eyes from the blinding lights, he tried to make sense of the jumbled questions they were asking. The guitarist got frustrated with the swarm of people and grabbed one's camera to use as a weapon. He swung it around above his head and shouted," Back off, buzzards! get the fuck back!"

Rick was allowed some space, only some. With an annoyed sigh he used the camera to slam it into the nearest person's face, screaming at them to back off. This had roused the sleeping giant known as Stan, and brought him to open the door, glaring at the crowd.

"He said to fuck off." Stan growled, backing his overwhelmed hubby." So, fuck off."

Rick was rather surprised with Stan, but hid it and let him do the bully work. When Stan stepped off the bus he pulled something out of his pocket and put it on. It was his brass knuckles, and the longer the reporters stayed after the warning he gave, the more he was inclined to use them.

"Leave already!" He shouted. Rick hadn't seen him yell yet. Stan was as much as bark as he was bite. This all took place in the span of mere seconds as Stan reared his fist back and swung wildly, hitting someone in the face hard enough to knock them over. Rick was quick to react and grabbed Stan before he went running after the herd of terrified reporters.

"Hey, hey. Easy, big guy." Rick brought the larger male's attention away from the fleeing crowd." They're gone now."

"I can see that." Stan huffed, taking off his brass knuckles and examining his hand. it was fine for now. 

"That was hot." said the guitarist, really swooning over his spouse after seeing such raw power in a half awake drunk Stanley. He wondered how strong he was when sober. Rick felt along Stan's arms, feeling up his muscles." that was really hot, babe."

Stan cracked a grin, and put a firm hand on the other's ass," Thanks." he chuckled, watching Rick make a face at the ass grabbing." c'mon. better help them unload, yeah?"

"yeah." he nodded.

They walked linked up together, either's hand in the other's back pocket. Stan was doing pretty well despite his inebriation to help with what he could and scare off anyone who wandered back stage that wasn't supposed to be there. Rick thought that he must get tired of seeing the show from the side behind the curtains. 

Maybe he'd like to see Stan in the crowd, like when they first met. The guitarist remembered looking over the crowd to see Stan sitting at the bar so out of place. The man had stayed because he lost their bet, but they took it so much farther in their own afterparty. Rick then wondered how Stan was doing without his car. He seemed to dote on the car when they had met, and as far as they both knew, the car was now sitting in a parking lot in Vegas.

He shrugged it off and tuned his guitar for the show. They had a few hours before the show started and before the place they were playing at actually opened to the public. Rick grabbed Stan's hand and grinned at him," wanna go cause some trouble?"

"Do not end up three states away." Birdperson warned.

"We won't. I'll keep 'im in line, Birdperson." Stan assured, putting his arm around Rick before they walked away. Stan immediately looked for his car then remembered it was still at they're honeymoon suite." So uh... how are we gonna get around?"

"Portal gun." Rick told him and shot a portal onto the side of the bus, pulling his husband through it." I wonder if cars go through portals..."

It took a second before he realized where they were, and he quickly got in front of his baby," oh no. You're not pushing my baby through that if you don't know the outcome."

"Alright." Rick aimed and shot a portal under a near by rent-a-cop golf cart." Experiment time." He then walked over and stuck his head through, emerging with a wild grin," it works. let's get your baby back to our gig."

Stan was a little relieved but it was gone when he and the car went through the portal Rick shot on the parking space it was parked in. They were back outside the place of the next show with no damage. Stan triple checked before Rick appeared from the portal and made it disappear.

"oh man it actually worked." Rick said surprised." That golf cart got fucked up."

"What do you mean?!" Stan turned towards him." You mean my car could've been totaled through that dumb portal maker of your's?!"

"It worked didn't it. Don't worry about it, babe." Rick told him, giving him a quick kiss on the lips. Stan grumbled but didn't push the issue. He pulled the lengthy male close to himself.

"the ol' gal might need some fine tuning, doll." Stan said quietly, knowing how long his car sat might take a toll on her.

"Let's pull her up behind the bus." Rick said. Stan nodded and got behind the wheel. He took a moment to run his hands over the steering wheel, smiling a bit at how it felt to be back at the wheel. He pulled the keys out of his pocket and flipped the ignition. 

She sputtered but came to life with a classic car roar. Stan grinned and lighting pressed the gas. Rick sat in the passenger seat as the car slowly rolled to the back where the bus was. Once there, Stan let her run for a while so it got the oil flowing again. He looked over his beloved car more. Rick sitting back to watch his husband work. 

Stan bent over beneath the hood and looked at the engine. Everything looked okay. After a good hour of assessment, he sighed, and wiped his hands off on his shirt." the tires are rotted, a tail light is out, and she needs an oil change."

" Take the car to a mechanic, we have to get ready soon." Rick told him, waving it off.

"You're lookin' at the mechanic, punk." Stan said firmly," only I have ever worked on this car, and only I have gotten her running from the scrap metal she was before. She ain't going to some half-assed lazy over priced fat ass sitting in a garage for a living."

Rick liked how assertive Stan was being. He smiled and nodded," Fine, fine. Let's go find some tires."

They ran around town until they found some tires and other parts approved by Stan. Once they came back, Rick was rushed back stage to get ready. Stan followed, knowing he had to help with his make up. 

"There." He said, finishing up the guitarist make up." I'm going to work on the car now."

"You're no fun." Rick said selfishly." you're so worried about that car."

" 'that car' got me from a dingy town in New Jersey all the way to you half way across the country. I've put more work into 'that car' than I did thought in marrying you!" Stan growled.

Rick's only reaction was to yell right back at him," Well that makes two of us when it comes to marriage! You just wanted to ride my coat tails into the easy life!"

"Go prance on stage, pretty boy! I've got a car to fix." Stan turned to walk away.

"When you get done fixing the car you should just get in it and drive far the fuck away, asshole!" Rick screamed after him.

"Gladly!" He stormed off back to his car. Rick was pissed, holding back from running after him and jumping on him.

~~~~~~

Stan wiped his forehead and sighed, now cooled off from his defensive of his beloved car. Man he really had said some shitty things to Rick in anger. He would have to apologize somehow. He didn't really know how to do apologies. And his leaving home after a huge blow out was proof of that. Shit.

Rick was drinking pretty heavily on stage, and his friends noticed. During break they told him, he should go apologize to Stan or work things out with him. Rick refused and demanded they get back on stage immediately so he didn't have to think about it.

The guitarist was so sick of hearing about that dopey muscular asshole for a husband. He put himself all into the music, rocking out with all his heart. Even lengthening the encoure just to spite his spouse if he was even waiting for him. Rick played out a heavy rift on the last song then threw the guitar down and stormed off stage. He was ready to leave and get far away from here. 

His bandmates followed with worried expressions, but Rick wasn't listening. He stormed out the back door and practically ran into Stan as he had been on his way in. 

"Watch i-" Rick stopped himself when he saw who he'd ran into. 

Stan smiled kindly at him, holding a bouquet of flowers," uh. Hey. Look I'm not good at apologies, and quite honestly I stole these flowers from someone."

"Good enough for me." Rick shrugged," 'm not good at sayin' sorry either."

"Um, I got her all fixed up. Wanna go for a drive?" he asked, gesturing to his car.

Squanchy patted Rick on the leg," ride with him. Birdperson and I are squanching tired of your lovey dovey bullshit."

The singer and drummer boarded the bus, Stan could see Birdperson get in the driver's seat and start up the bus. Rick laughed and jumped on Stan's back," le-let's go~!"

Stan carried him over to the car, letting him get in before getting behind the wheel. They followed the bus out, driving down the road. There were hardly any stops that lasted more than a few hours. The band was running all over the country without a care in the world. Stan just happened to be pulled into their crazy road trip half way through. 

"Say. Where is the next gig, babe?" Stan asked, looking at Rick, who was all but hanging out the window.

"mmm... no where, New J-Jersey, I think." Rick told him." something like that."

"no where, New Jersey. I'm from a no where New Jersey." he chuckled, thinking it was ironic they'd be close to his home town. He figured they were stopping in Hoboken or something like that. 

He thought briefly of stopping by to see his family, but shook the thought away knowing he still wasn't welcome there. He reached over and put his hand on Rick's thigh with a smile. They weren't around anyone, but it was nice to just feel like they were really a couple. Rick looked over at him when he felt the hand on him, and flashed a crooked smile back.

This is how it should be, Stan thought. Just him and Rick and the open road. If they had become anything other than scammers caught up in their own lie, they'd become friends. Stan felt he could trust the other simply due to their last drunken shenanigans. He didn't know how Rick felt, but they were comfortable.

Stan sighed, it was nearly noon when the bus pulled over at the truck stop. He got out of the car and picked up sleeping Rick and brought him onto the bus, laying him out on the sofa bed. 

"I hope you and Rick talked things out." Birdperson said.

Stan nodded," yeah we did. He fell asleep a few hours ago."

"You must be tired, let us hook up your car to the back of the bus." Birdperson and Stan went back out and pulled the car onto a small trailer. They secured it and then hitched it to the bus before going back in.

Moments later Squanchy was emerging from his sleeping quarters in the back and took over driving while Birdperson went to rest. Stan did the same gladly. They'd been all up and down the US in the past few weeks. He laid down next to Rick, and pulled the covers over them and fell asleep.

The next few hours were mostly comprised of sleeping, until Stan was woken up by pot hole filled roads and he lifted his head to see out the window where they were. 

Glass Shard Beach, New Jersey.

"Shit." Stan said, going from half- asleep to alert as could be.


	5. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this chapter came out very quick and without much thought. I might revise it and upload a different chapter later. please be advised of soon to come changes

Stan threw himself out of bed, looking panicked. His stocky build and size sent him crashing into the table, waking up Rick. He took deep breaths trying to calm down. He looked over at Rick, who was trying to figure out why the hell he was freaking out. Stan could only think if his family saw his car hitched to the back of a tour bus, they'd freak.

Hell, they probably already knew he was shacked up with a famous guitarist. He'd get his ass beat for that. Why here, why now? He'd spent nearly three years avoiding the place, now he was back. He started hyperventilating. Rick looked out the window, then back at Stan as it clicked into place. His hubby was freaking out because they were in his home town and wasn't welcome by his family back.

Rick crawled over to him," h-hey. Stan 's okay."

"No. no it's not okay. i... I gotta hide." Stan jumped up, slamming his head into the roof, making such a ruckus it woke the other sleeping passenger and made Squanchy come back to investigate after pulling into the stadium parking lot." Fuck! that hurt!" he groaned holding his head.

Rick sighed, and pulled Stan down onto the bed." easy, big guy." he knew the feelings Stan was going through at this point." C'mon, let's not think about it. we gotta unpack."

The large man looked at Rick and nodded. Once calmed he helped unload the band equipment. He put it to the back of his mind as he helped unload and fix makeup. His main focus was selling the marriage scam to the crowd tonight, and making sure Rick doesn't do anything to jeopardize their scam of the perfect couple. 

The previous gig had been a mock up, he could hear the tabloid screaming about Stan not once being seen at least watching from backstage. But The Flesh Curtains were about to bounce back. All personnel were on hands for getting everything set up for that night. Stan rushed about here and there seeing to certain fixes he could do, as well as taking out fans that snuck in.

The last thing on his mind was his family showing up. This type of music was far from what they thought was acceptable. Rick pulled Stan to the dressing room to get ready. The reasoning being, he was going to be shown off to all the poor saps stuck in the small town while he lives it up with his famous spouse and band.

"Tell me why you're playing dress with me right now, dear?" Stan asked, standing with his arms up as Rick pulled his shirt off.

"I'm not saying it again." Rick growled, jabbing him in the side lightly as he turned his back to him. Make may be Stan's thing, but fashion was Rick's.

Stan chuckled," oh come on, you could've just asked if you wanted to see me naked."

"Now is not the time to be play that game, Stanley." the guitarist said firmly, putting him in a tight fitting shirt that showed of his athletic build.

"Yes dear. wHOA THERE." he gasped when Rick stripped him of his pants and shoved some acid wash ripped jeans into his hands. The lengthy male was demanding that Stan look at least presentable when he comes out on stage.

Rick looked at Stan's hair, it had grown quite a bit, almost looking like a mullet. He shuddered at the idea. He pushed his spouse towards the door once fully dressed," go to hair and makeup right now. Get rid of that mop on you head."

"um... Okay." Stan said, having been pushed half way there and walked the rest. he sat down in a chair and looked at the hair stylist," Rick said to get rid of my mop."

She nodded as she understood no high profile guitarist would want a spouse be unfashionable next to them. She worked quickly and got Stan cleaned up and looking decent, then sent him back to Rick, who greatly appreciated how gorgeous Stan was all cleaned up.

"You clean up well." Rick said, sitting in his lap once he had sat down in a chair." it looks a lot better."

Stan smiled," I get the feeling your planing something bigger than what you're telling me."

"Don't worry about it, babe." He told his husband, before getting up to finish getting ready.

~~~~~~

The crowd was loud as they sang along with every song. Stan had slipped into the back of the crowd to get to the bar. He knew this stadium well, as he'd been here for many a football game. He ordered something light and started back for his little safe zone behind the curtains. Once there, he watched the show from there until Rick pulled him out.

Stan drank from his drink he'd been holding, and put his arm around the guitarist with a grin. He'd gotten quite used to being on stage, it was almost welcoming to see everyone in the audience cheer when he came out. He sighed and gave Rick the standard kiss, before a guitar was shoved in his hand.

"w-what's this?" he asked, confused.

"play." Rick simply told him and put a microphone in front of him." play and sing babe."

Stan looked at his spouse practically befuddled. He didn't know what to play, but strummed out a few cords before something came to him. He spoke into the mic while looking at Rick," This is a bit unexpected, love. I didn't think you'd want anyone to hear me play."

Rick rolled his eyes and chuckled," please. Get on with it before I change my mind."

"Alright, well..." Stan shifted his weight," I know your fans probably didn't expect to hear country tonight, but... It's what I'm good at." He began playing the guitar," Remember this one darlin'? The first song I ever sang to you."

He sung a soulful yet sappy love song he remembered really liking during high school. Stan focused on his husband and let the rest of the world slip away as he sang. Rick looked as if he was loving it, even if just pretend. Their dynamic was so easy going it felt natural to them. The lengthy guitarist stood close to Stan, listening to him sing with a country twang once hidden.

When the song ended, they kissed and said they loved each other. Stan left the stage afterwards and they got back to the show. He didn't think Rick would put him on the spot like that, but at least it wasn't as bad as he thought it could be. 

The large male went back out into the crowd to order a stronger drink to shake off the jitters. 

"Stanley." came a familiar voice.

He whirled around to face someone he never thought would be at a heavy metal concert." F-Ford."

"I don't know what you're trying to pull with that man, but you need to stop it now." Ford said firmly. It was obvious to Stan that he'd been working more than his brain." You're gone for nearly three years and suddenly I see your face plastered all over tabloids and newspapers with that... That punker! What have you got to say for yourself?!"

Stan was taken aback by Ford's tone. He felt that same heartbreak from their blow out. Before he could make an honest reply, he hardened himself to his brother's cold words and frowned at him," You have no right to talk to me like your better than me, Ford. You gladly watched me leave three years ago, why would anything I'm doing have anything to do with you!"

"You're making a mistake, Stanley!" Ford argued." Nothing good can come of this sham of a marriage you have with him."

"Nothing good ever comes around when I'm involved." Stan growled." And for the record, Ri--... My husband is the best fucking thing that's happened to me since I left this goddamn waste of a town! I ain't stuck no more, Ford! I have someone that cares about me and won't go running to dad when shit hits the fan!"

With that Stan walked off, chugging his drink and throwing the empty cup to the ground. He was pissed that his brother still thought he was up to no good. Maybe he was, but what did it concern him? Stan was doing was Stan does best, rolling with the punches. He got back to his spot back stage and waited for the band to finish their last song. 

Rick was the last to come back stage and was immediately grabbed at the waist by Stan." What's up hun?" he asked, firmly pressed against his spouse.

"Coming to this town was a mistake. let's jet before things get worse." Stan told him in a low voice so only he could hear.

"Why? what happened?"

" I ran into my brother." Stan sighed, gaining a look from the guitarist." he gave me a lecture about me and you while I was at the bar. I was lucky I didn't fucking punch him in know-it-all mouth."

Rick examined the other's expression. He could tell his hubby's mood had changed and he assumed his brother was once a big influence in Stan's life so hearing him talk bad on his relationship was pretty hard." hey. Look't me, Stan." he pulled Stan's gaze up to his own." Don't listen to him. Who is he? A nobody, that's who. Because at the end of the night, he's stuck here in No Where, New Jersey, and we'll be on our bus, headed for the next gig with all eyes on us."

Stan relaxed a bit at Rick's words, nodding," yeah. you're right, babe. Let's get out of here."

"Carry me for more press." Rick told him. Stan happily scooped up the skinny man and carried him out the door while cameras flashed and reporters shouted questions at them. Stan caught a glimpse of what he thought was his brother, but ignored it. Sqaunchy and Birdperson said they were going to pull into a hotel for the night and get rooms. Rick agreed, wanting to sleep on something other than a crappy mattress from a sofa bed.

They ended up stopping at one of the nicest hotels in Glass Shard Beach. Very little press had followed them and even less of the fanbase did. Stan and Rick got a nice king sized bed in their room and the bathroom was pretty cool too.

Stan remarked that he used to wonder who would ever stop in this dingy town for the night. Rick just laughed at him before hitting the shower. Stan looked around the room before sitting down. He was certainly exhausted from all that happened today. 

~~~~~~~~~

BANG, BANG, BANG!

Rick groaned and rolled over, tapping his husband." Stan. Door."

BANG, BANG, BANG.

Stan sat up and rubbed his eyes." goddamnit all. who the hell is banging on doors this late at night."

BANG, BANG, BANG.

"just! J-just get the door already!" Rick threw his hands up in the air, awake fully now.

Stan got out of the bed and answered the door," Whaddaya want? It's the middle of the night."

"It's 7 am, Stanley." said Ford, who was standing with their parents at the door.

"What the fuck." Rick grumbled, getting out of the bed," Stan why are people at the door? what do they want?" he came over," no thanks. we don't want anything. we don't believe in god or whatever your selling." 

Rick started to close the door when it was caught and forced back open by Stan's father. The three came in without being invited and turned on all the lights and what not. 

"Why are you here? I thought you never wanted to see me again, pops." Stan folded his arms over his chest.

"p-pops? Stan is.. Is this your family?" Rick asked.

"Yes, and quite frankly I'd be surprised if they still called me that after disowning me and kicking me out onto the streets three years ago." said the larger male.

"You're gonna talk to your family that way?" his mother said in a condescending tone." I see how it is. Mr. Bigshot makes it big and now he's too good for his family."

Stan rolled his eyes and looked at Ford," did you fucking tail me, Ford? Shouldn't you be at college?"

"I was." Ford told him." I came home to visit before I transferred to West Coast Tech."

Rick could tell there was tension between the family and Stan. He could tell Stan was not happy with their sudden appearance in their hotel room either. The lengthy man leaned on Stan absentmindedly while trying to see their way out of this situation.  
"Could you not do that in front of your father, Stanley?" Mrs. Pines commented, a clear look of disgust on her face.  
Stan put his arm around Rick," deal with it. I'm a married man and this is who I'm married too."  
Mr. Pines grunted and shifted his weight. The parents were uncomfortable with their son's choice in a partner. Ford, on the other hand, couldn't care about it, as he just saw Rick as a bad influence. Stan stood his ground, next to his husband. Rick was all for making people uncomfortable, especially when they intruded on his sleeping time.  
"Baby, we have to get going soon. Our next gig is a few hours away." Rick said, attempting to prompt a reason for Stan to throw his family out.  
Stan nodded,"I know. Can you go get Birdperson and Sqaunchy up so we can meet in the lobby?"

"You sure that's a good idea?" the guitarist asked, glancing at his in-laws.

"Yeah. I'll be fine." Stan assured. Rick nodded and got dressed, giving Stan a goodbye kiss before leaving the room to get their friends. Stan waited for Rick to shut the door before saying anything," What the hell do you think your doing?! Barging into our hotel room and then having the audacity to call yourself my family while blatantly watching us with that fucking twisted look on your faces."

"Stanley, its not like we didn't know. Your mug is all over the papers. Your father can't even enjoy his morning reading without an article about you and that shitstain." Mrs. Pines stated firmly.

"Mom, please. language." Ford spoke softly compared to their mother, who was loud as the day was bright.

Her tone changed when Ford said something," oh, sweetie. I'm sorry. I forget you don't like us swearing."

"Get out." Stan growled, prompting his family to look at him." My life has no room for moochers like you. I'm happy with Rick. As far as I'm concerned, he is the only family I got. So get out of my hotel room before I have you thrown out!" The louder Stan got, the more his parents and brother realized how hurt he still was from the fight. They didn't argue, Ford said coming here was a bad idea. They went out the door while Stan hollered after them," And don't worry about seeing me in the paper anymore! We're going off the grid!"

Once they were out of sight, Stan pulled on his pants, and collected anything Rick and him had left in the room. Rick stood in the lobby with his band mates, seeing the Pines family shuffle past and quickly get in their car to leave. He chuckled a bit, Stan must've tore them new assholes. A few moments later Stan came out into the lobby and gave the key card back to the person at the front desk.

"You okay?" Birdperson asked.

"Yeah, just fine. Let's get the hell out of this town." Stan snipped, grabbing Rick's hand. Rick just let him, walking out with him to the bus without complaint.

The guitarist sat back on the sofa and looked at Stan," Don't listen to those nerds, Stan. We're fixing to go on the biggest tour in the whole multiverse that they wouldn't even be able to comprehend."

Stan nodded," Where are we going anyway?"

"Space, baby!" Rick told him." We're going to the next solar system and playing a gig on the best planet there! CX-90!"


End file.
